The present invention relates to air/sea rescue devices and more specifically to a net and support structure secured to the underside of a helicopter for scooping, at least partially, floating items out of the open water.
There are a variety of different air/sea rescue devices used in today's industry, these include air rescue nets which are mounted on extended pivoting arms, air rescue nets which are dragged in the open water, sea rescue ramps, cargo pick-up nets with hooks to secure onto helicopters, and rescue capsule for use with helicopters.
There are a number of air/sea rescue devices which are constructed to combine the principles of the helicopter and net for air/sea rescue. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,188,000; 4,113,207; 3,228,044; 3,036,315; 3,232,565; 3,158,357; and 3,934,847.
There are many drawbacks to these prior designs for air/sea rescue devices. For example, in the construction which requires the extending pivotal arms, the structure is not inherently stable. This construction requires that a movable weight is needed to balance the helicopter when the pivot arms are extended in front of the helicopter. This balancing trick is much too cumbersome and dangerous when timing is critical, as in instances of an emergency air/sea rescue. Should the weights not be properly placed, when an object is placed in the netting, it may cause a dangerous imbalance of the helicopter, placing the object in danger of being struck by the rotating blades, or even placing the helicopter itself in danger of crashing.
In the construction wherein the net is dragged in open water to catch the floating object, the danger exists that the object will be struck by the frame of the netting, since the netting is being dragged by a cable or line of some nature. In considering wave action and current, the netting is fighting the nature's elements to stay on target to scoop the floating object and the chance of some mishap as described before is increased. In these instances, the pilot looses sight of the object to be retrieved, as the helicopter moves past it, since the net is normally dragged a distant behind the helicopter.
The prior constructions have much too many working parts that may fail at some instance. Each device requires that precise timing and coordination of the rescue device and helicopter be performed. Otherwise the helicopter and deice to be rescued are endangered. It would be wise and prudent to remove as many of these possible variables to lower the chances for error and accidents.
There also exists the possibility that the floating object is inanimate and unable to help in the rescue, therefore the air/sea rescue devices which require action or assistance by the object are impractical and unreliable. It is necessary to provide a device that can retrieve an object from open water without assistance from that object.
It is toward the solution of these inherent problems and dangers that the present invention is directed.